


A Royal Surprise

by ashtraythief



Category: CW Network RPF, Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Arranged Marriage, F/F, Futanari, Historical Fantasy, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-24
Updated: 2016-06-07
Packaged: 2018-06-10 13:00:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6957493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashtraythief/pseuds/ashtraythief
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Genevieve hated that she was being married off to a queen in another land. But her marriage would cement an important political alliance and she was determined to serve her country. Unfortunately, she was still hung up on the peasant girl she’d fallen in love with five years ago...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [this prompt](http://spn-masquerade.livejournal.com/7665.html?thread=2431217) at the fourth round of the [spn_masquerade](http://spn-masquerade.livejournal.com/). (I’m sorry dear prompter, that this fill turned probably way more schmoopy than intended.) This is the fifth and last prompt I filled and I didn't manage to finish in time. Since I'm only missing the last two scenes, I decided to post this as a WIP to hold me to finishing it.
> 
> Many thanks to theatregirl7299 and ilikacalie for the beta work! All remaining mistakes are mine.

 

The sun was high in the sky when they finally reached the imposing city of Nahalla. It was the sixteenth day of their journey and Gen was tired. She was hot and dusty, her bath in a stream three days ago a distant memory. She’d given up on doing her hair, just gathering the long dark strands up in a simple knot at the back of her head. They’d traveled the last stretch through the dry savannah, the horses’ legs rustling softly through the long brittle grass.  

 

Farms were sparse in this region of Lazania. The people mostly lived off their livestock; raising sheep for their wool and cows for milk and meat. Cheese was a favored product of many farms which they exported into all the surrounding countries. The aged smoked Lazanian cheese was very popular with the poor for its storability; while the soft herb cheese was a favored delicacy of nobles and rich merchants.

 

Gen spotted the occasional vineyard but considering how many slopes were southward facing, she was surprised there were so few. Maybe the soil was not ideal or irrigation was difficult. She was itching to ask the women about this, to see if she could maybe make the lands more productive, but pointing out weaknesses in their agricultural traditions, that they’d probably followed for generations, might not be the best first impression in her role as queen consort. She wasn’t even sure whether Queen Danneel would want or welcome her input.  

 

Gen really hoped she’d get to apply her expertise in agriculture here but, she reminded herself, she wasn’t here to find self-fulfillment. She was here to bring a powerful alliance to her country. As the youngest child of three, she’d always known she would marry for political gain. She just thought she’d marry in her own country. She loved her brothers, loved the dense forests and sprawling meadows of her home. She loved the little villages, the cramped cities, the music, the food, the festivals celebrating every season’s change, loved the cold snowy winters and the warm humid summers. So while she’d never looked forward to being a nobleman’s royal breeding cow, she thought she’d at least stay in the country she loved, with her friends and family only a few days on horseback away. She’d been wrong.

 

While her country was embroiled in a long war with the Correlians to the east, additional conflicts had to be avoided at all costs. The border raids coming out of the matriarchal Lazanian Empire to the south had evolved from a nuisance to a greater strain than they could handle, consequently her brother Jeff had been working intensely on a diplomatic solution.

 

She remembered the fateful meeting with the Lazanian envoy, Adrianne of Palicki, like it was yesterday. The tall blonde ambassador had looked Jeff, Gen’s brother and the king, straight in the eyes and had said, “Your Majesty, there’s only one thing that can prevent us from going to war. A union stronger than words must be forged.”

 

Gen had hidden her surprise. She’d always assumed the Lazanian queen would seek a marriage connection towards the kingdom of Dalarun.

 

Jeff had just nodded in understanding, showing nothing on his face. “My younger brother, Jared, he—”

 

But Adrianne had held up a hand and stopped him. She looked at Gen and for a moment. Gen swore she saw the hint of a smile on the usually somber ambassador’s face. “My queen wishes to marry a woman,” Ambassador Adrianne had said to Jeff.

 

For the briefest moment, Jeff had stared, then his face had smoothed out into an accommodating expression. “Of course. My younger sister Genevieve would be an excellent match.”

 

The ambassador, who’d clearly anticipated this suggestion, had smiled. “Yes, she would. Not that your brother Jared isn’t a very agreeable match.” The way her eyes had traveled up and down Jared’s body had left no doubt about her intentions. It was well known Lazanian women took men into their beds whenever they pleased.

 

Jared’s eyes had gone wide in surprise. Standing next to the door, Jensen had harrumphed and glared.

 

At that particular memory, Gen had to laugh. Who knew, maybe Adrianne’s attention would finally get Jensen to make a move. For so fearless a warrior, he was uncharacteristically reserved when it came to Jared. Which made her brother’s pining even worse. Gen had wanted to do something about that before she’d left. She’d thought the two idiots would figure it out on their own eventually, but it was better to have a contingency plan. Unfortunately, she hadn’t been able to focus enough to accomplish anything because her brother had just agreed to marry her off to Lazania. A country weeks away from her home. A desert land ruled by women warriors, the citizens in the mountains living as sheep and goat herders and those on the planes as ranchers and farmers, while the women warriors lived in the ancient cities and worshipped the mother goddess.

 

Jeff had agreed to send Gen _away_. She’d been furious. Devastated. In her anger she’d called her brother, the king, every name in the book and finally threw a cup of wine in his face. Jeff, with the infinite wisdom that made him an excellent king, had endured all of it in stony silence.

 

When Gen was done, panting in anger and trying to hold back the tears stinging her eyes, he drew her against his broad chest.

 

“I’m sorry,” he’d said, “but this is the best course of action for our country. This alliance will  free up more of our troops from the southern border to join the fight on the eastern flank.”

 

Gen had scrunched her eyes shut, refused to cry, and nodded. Then Jared had joined the embrace and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

 

“Hey, on the upside, you won’t have to give birth to like, ten kids and be pregnant all the time.”

 

Gen had laughed, because what else was there to do? And Jared had been right, at least she was spared the fate of becoming a royal breeding machine.

 

“I still don’t like it,” Gen had said after a while. “The way Ambassador Palicki looked at me. Like she knows something we don’t.”

 

Jared had told her she was being paranoid, but Jeff had nodded thoughtfully.

 

“Probably,” he’d said. “Though I can’t think of what. But if you really don’t want to do it…”

 

Gen had shaken her head. “No, Jeff. I’ll do it. We need this alliance. And who knows, maybe I can even persuade her to send more than the five hundred troops she promised.”

 

“You do that. By the gods, we’ll need every man, or woman in that case, to defeat the fucking Correlians.”

 

The Lazanians were famous for their women warriors. Where in most other countries patriarchy ruled and women were excluded from the army, the Lazanians showed everyone that a woman could fight just as well as any man. Their forces were desirable military allies and stories of their queen’s skill with a weapon were told in impressed voices by the most proficient swordsmen.

 

On her journey, Gen had seen every day proof of the warrior skills in the women that had been sent to escort her. They were all excellent riders and handled their weapons with ease. A small group of them often went out to hunt, providing fresh meat every day.

 

Alaina, the escort’s captain, insisted on teaching Gen some of their ways. So every morning, when the sun was just rising, Gen got up with the warriors and took part in a series of exercises to strengthen the body. Even Ambassador Adrianne took part in them with surprising aptitude that Gen hadn’t expected from a diplomat. After Gen had successfully — meaning staying upright — managed to complete a series of movements called the sun salutation, Adrianne had winked at her.

 

“The queen is a big supporter of having a daily workout regime. She’ll appreciate you already being well versed in these exercises.”

 

Gen had flushed, because she knew exactly what Adrianne implied with her words.

 

Since the warriors followed a matriarchal way of life and lived mostly separate from men, it made sense the queen would want a female consort. But she’d probably also want to engage in _that_ kind of activity. Well, like Jared had said, at least Gen wouldn’t have to give birth to a new baby every year, now that she wasn’t marrying a man.

 

Not that she didn’t want to have children at all, but she didn’t want to be some man’s breeding machine. In her dreams it was always a red-headed woman at her side, but that was ridiculous, of course. She still thought one or two children could be nice. She just didn’t want to be pregnant for the next fifteen years of her life. In her country, a man’s standing was measured through his virility proven by his wife’s fertility. It was fucked up, but the only reason Gen was the last of three children was because her mother had died when Gen was just a baby, and her father, in his grief, had refused to take another wife.

 

Jeff had already fathered four children with his wife and she was pregnant again, so the royal house’s reputation was thriving. It wouldn’t even hurt if Jared never had children, if Jensen ever got up the courage to make a move. And if Gen could escape the fate of near-constant pregnancy, she’d be happier for it. She could still be the doting aunt.

 

And to be honest, she always thought she’d prefer a woman’s touch anyway.

 

She still longingly remembered the summer she had spent in her aunt’s castle at the south-eastern border. She had met a captivating Correlian farm girl in the sprawling meadows behind the castle. Elta hadn’t been much older than Gen. With a wide and confident smile, she’d first befriended Gen, then wooed her with small forest strawberries and stories about slaying dragons and spending a life on horseback, free to go wherever your four legged friend could carry you.

 

Gen had escaped the castle as often as she could, spending days and, if she could sneak away, even nights with Elta. They’d gazed at the stars, Gen had taught Elta the names of the constellations and when the sun had risen, they had kissed. Gen was sixteen and it wasn’t her first kiss, but compared to Lord Miller’s son, Elta knew what she was doing and instead of just taking Gen’s mouth, kissing Elta was an exchange, a tender and passionate play in which they were both equals.

 

With Elta, there was no danger of pregnancy, so Gen had let herself fall into her arms, let Elta show her how a woman could give another woman pleasure.

 

“You can do this for yourself too,” she’d said and then watched Gen with hungry eyes, as she touched herself for the first time.

 

In the years following that summer, the picture of Elta spread out in the grass, shirt open to expose her full and round breasts, her dark red hair falling in soft waves around her face in a stark contrast to the green grass, it had been Gen’s favorite memory when she pleasured herself.

 

She’d kissed another boy, a merchant’s son, let him touch her under her skirts, but, just like Lord Miller’s son, he had nothing on Elta. She suspected the lingering feelings she had for Elta had their part in Gen’s disinterest in others, but she pushed these thoughts away. Nothing would ever come of them.

 

Knowing what real pleasure could be, Gen rejected further advances from the young men available to her — it was unbecoming of her virgin-princess role anyway. Her brother thought she stopped rebelling, but Gen just gave up on the noblemen in her kingdom. A woman’s pleasure clearly meant nothing to them.

 

She knew it could be different. She saw how happy Jeff’s wife was every time he turned to her, but with Elta in mind, Gen didn’t feel the need to go looking for that. She’d rather dream of the free-spirited young woman who’d made that summer the best of Gen’s life.

 

And who knew, maybe Queen Danneel would possess equal disposition and equal skills. It stood to reason, at a court dominated by women.

  
  


Ambassador Adrianne — “you can just call me Adrianne, your Highness” — reigned in her horse next to Gen’s. “Does it look like you imagined it?”

 

Gen looked up at the city, the white and sand colored buildings winding up the soft slope of the mountain’s outcrop. On the other side of the hill, Gen knew, the ground fell and Nahalla’s harbor opened to a passage over the seas.

 

“It’s bigger than I thought it would be,” Gen admitted, because from down here on the plain, it looked bigger than any city she’d ever seen.

 

Adrianne nodded. “It’s bigger than any city in your country, your Highness. But the streets are wide and the properties large. Your capital has more inhabitants than Nahalla.”

 

“Didn't I ask you to call me Genevieve?” Gen asked, because she had. Right when Adrianne had offered Gen to call her by her given name.

 

Adrianne inclined her head. “Only with my queen’s permission. Names hold a special meaning in our culture.”

 

Gen arched an eyebrow. “And my permission is not enough?”

 

Adrianne smiled. “From any other person, it would be. But your name belongs to the queen until she gives it back to you at your wedding. It’s customary in our country.”

 

Gen harrumphed, but really, there was nothing she could do about it.

 

“Your Highness,” Adrianne started, then hesitated. “You are a smart and brave woman,” she finally said, slowly and deliberately. “I’ve come to admire you greatly during our journey.”

 

That was unexpected. Gen wasn’t sure what to say. Yes, she’d exercised with the women and she’d eaten her meals with them, listened to their stories, asked questions, and even told a few anecdotes of her own. The story how she and Jared had stolen the cook’s prize cake a day before the summer festival was quite riveting. She wasn’t aware she’d made such an impression on Adrianne though.

 

The ambassador was still looking at her earnestly. “Gaining your hand in marriage would be every woman’s dream, and I cannot emphasize enough how much the queen wishes for your union.”

 

“I—” Gen broke off, unsure how to reply. This felt important. As if Adrianne was trying to convey something she couldn't say. “I appreciate your kind words, Adrianne. And I can assure you, I too wish for a marriage with your queen. If only half the stories about her are true, then I’ll be the luckiest woman in all the kingdoms.”

 

Adrianne smirked. “I’m not going to lie, some are pure exaggeration.”

 

“The one with the lion?” Gen asked.

 

“No, that one’s true, but the story about the forty bandits was a lie. It couldn’t have been more than twenty.”

 

Gen snorted out a laugh.

 

“But I meant what I said,” Adrianne said, sincere again. “Our customs and our politics might still seem strange to you and not all might be as it appears.”

 

“What are you saying?” Gen asked, because that right there sounded like intrigue and a warning.

 

Adrianne leaned forward on her horse. “I’m saying that we shouldn't keep the queen waiting because she has been anxiously awaiting your arrival. She wishes to talk to you, face to face, as soon as possible.”

 

That was not enlightening at all. Adrianne’s remarks were more than a bit worrisome, actually, but Adrianne had urged her horse forward and the rest of the group was following.

 

Gen squared her shoulders and looked determinedly at Nahalla’s high stone pillars that let the desert winds blow through the buildings. She was here now, and she’d make the best of it. Whatever dangers lay ahead, Gen would face them head on. Besides, Jeff was still hoping for more troops. Gen would do her best not to let her brother down.

 

She spurred on her horse and rode towards her new home.

  
  


The horses’ hooves were loud on the city's cobblestone streets and the women going about their business in the streets fell silent at their entrance, watching their queen’s new consort arrive with curious eyes.

 

It was a new experience to see such a large group of people made entirely of women. They stood tall and strong, some wearing pants, others wearing dresses. Then from far back came a loud cry, a drawn out “ayyyyy-ie”, picked up by the others, until the streets were echoing with the women’s voices.

 

“They welcome you,” Adrianne told Gen.

 

Gen had never heard such a powerful sound, reverberating through her body. When they reached a wide open courtyard with a pillar standing tall in the middle, the cry stopped.

 

Gen looked around. The women were watching her with measuring looks like they weren’t sure what to think of the tiny dark-haired yet fair skinned princess from so far up north. Gen took a deep breath and opened her mouth.

 

She knew her cry didn’t sound exactly like that of the women, a little too hoarse, and not high enough on the end note. When she stopped, lungs out of breath, the women were staring at her.

 

In horror, she turned to Adrianne. What if she’s made a terrible mistake, insulted these women? But Adrianne just looked at her with respect and admiration.

 

Then the crowd started cheering, yelling and whistling. Hats and bonnets were thrown in the air.

 

Adrianne leaned over to Gen. “You did well, Princess. Let’s get you to the palace now. The queen will be waiting.”

 

Gen looked down at her dust-covered riding clothes, felt sweat clinging to the back of her neck. “Can I take a bath first?”

 

Adrianne rolled her eyes, but Gen saw the corners of her mouth twitch in fondness. A bath was definitely in her immediate future.

  
  


After cooling off in the luxurious baths, the comfortable marble basins filled with cool and warm water, Gen took her second best dress out of her travel bag and brushed out her hair. It tumbled openly over her shoulders in long, thick waves in her country’s style befitting unmarried women.

 

She took one last look in the large, gold-rimmed mirror. Her dark red dress set off her creamy skin and made a pretty contrast to her dark hair. Rationally, she knew she looked good.

 

She was gut-wrenchingly nervous.

 

A new country, a new queen, a wife, and a new host of duties she had no idea how to handle. Adrianne had tried to prepare her on the journey, but many things had sounded so foreign, Gen knew she’d need time to get used to them.

 

It didn’t matter. She was here now, and she would not let her brother down. She would not let her country down. They needed peace, and Gen would be her most charming, agreeable self to get it.

 

Squaring her shoulders, she tried for a shy, agreeable smile. It was a little twitchy, but it would have to do. With a deep breath, she walked outside her rooms, where two guards were waiting to escort her to the queen.

  
  


Queen Danneel had apparently decided to welcome Gen in the throne room. If she was trying to intimidate Gen, it wouldn’t work. In her own country, architects had perfected the sturdy, high walls interspersed with slim, pointed windows, with impressive stone pilasters lining the walls leading the eye up to vaulted stone ceilings.

 

The Lazanian throne room was big, yes, but nowhere near as impressive as the halls Gen knew. It was much more beautiful, though. The pillars running along the sides were decorated with carved vines, extravagant capitals carrying the light sandstone ceilings. The whole room was bright. Sunlight filtered in through the space between the pillars, unlike the muted lighting in the buildings of Gen’s home.

 

At the end of the hall, a broad throne carved from marble dominated a dais. The queen sat on her throne, dark red hair falling down to her breasts, barely hidden under an almost see-through white tunic.

 

She stood when Gen entered, tall and long legged, lean muscles visible in her bare arms. She was wearing golden bracelets around her wrists and upper arms, reflecting the light of the room and glinting when she moved.

 

When Gen walked closer, and she could make out the queen’s face — sharp, angular jaw, a full lipped mouth, wide brown eyes and a surprisingly cute little nose — it tugged at something in her memories. There was a familiarity about the queen she couldn’t put her finger on, at least not until the queen smiled.

 

Then there was really no way to mistake her for anyone other than the peasant girl, Elta, Gen had known five years ago.

 

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” It slipped out before Gen could stop herself and she clapped her hands over her mouth in horror.

 

Elta’s — no, Danneel’s — smile broadened and she let out a throaty laugh. A wave of memories flooded Gen’s mind and she was left reeling from all the emotions it dragged up. It didn’t matter that it had been five years, the love and longing she’d always felt for Elta made her heart beat faster as if no more than a day had passed.

 

“Leave us,” the queen commanded and the rustling behind Gen told her the guards were leaving the hall.

 

Elta — Danneel — descended the dais. “Gen,” she said warmly, “I’m so happy you’re finally here.”

 

Gen, for her part, was speechless. Elta hadn’t been a peasant girl. Elta had already been a warrior princess when Gen had met her.  She’d gone on to compete for the throne against all the other women from the royal lineage only two years later. The story of how Queen Danneel had defeated all her opponents at only twenty-one years of age was quite spectacular. She was the youngest queen to ever take the throne. And Gen had thought she was a mere peasant.

 

In disbelief, Gen shook her head. “How… I mean, why were you — and why didn’t you tell me, I mean, what… What were you thinking? Why — why all the lies? And why am I here now?”

 

The queen stopped only a few steps from Gen. Up close, Gen could see new golden strands in her hair, her familiar long dark eyelashes, and a thin white scar running along her collarbone that definitely hadn’t been there when Gen had known her as Elta. Gen had kissed that spot back then. She still remembered the feel of Elta’s sun-warmed skin under her lips.

 

Danneel took a deep breath. “I’ll explain everything, I promise. How about we sit?” She reached out for Gen, as if to guide her to the table, as if she had the right to touch her, but Gen flinched back. She still couldn’t believe she was standing in front of Elta.

 

There was a small table with two armchairs to the left of the throne. On the table, a carafe filled with water and two cups made of blue glass and a bowl full of fruit were waiting for them.

 

Warily, Gen walked over and sat down. The queen sat down across from her.

 

She still looked like the girl Gen had known, and yet so different. She carried herself with an air of power without being burdened by it. She’d retained her easy grace, but the mischievous twinkle in her eyes had given way to something sharper, more assessing. Danneel’s eyes were fixed on Gen, watching her attentively.

 

“I didn’t lie,” the queen said. “Well, not exactly.”

 

“What do you mean?” Gen was torn between being angry and curious. It wasn’t like there weren’t messengers, or _letters_. If Elta had wanted to stay in touch, she could have. And there would have been a way for her to contact Gen before any marriage agreement was struck.

 

It wasn’t until now that Gen realized how truly angry she was. Not that she’d had a lot of time to process it.

 

Danneel gave her a rueful smile. “Elta was my birthname. Danneel was the name I chose when I started my initiation as a warrior.”

 

“So you were still Elta when we met?”

 

The queen nodded. “It’s part of the initiation. I had chosen my new name, but I was still proving myself worthy of it. I had to go out on my own and travel the world. Have adventures.”

 

Gen recoiled. “So what, I was an adventure? A check box on some list? Slay a dragon, seduce a princess?”

 

She’d always consoled herself that Elta had just been as infatuated with Gen as Gen was with her. She’d believed her when Elta said she’d never forget her, would carry Gen forever in her heart. Apparently, Danneel’s feelings hadn’t been as deep as Gen’s.

 

Danneel gave a very unqueenly snort. “Actually, quite the contrary. I was just passing through, and there you were. Riding your horse with too much grace for a palace princess; head held stubbornly high. I thought, just one day, just one night.” Danneel leaned forward and took Gen’s hand. “And then I couldn’t leave.”

 

For a moment, Gen was spellbound, then she pulled back. Danneel’s eyes widened in surprise and for the first time since Gen had entered the throne room, she didn’t look pleased. Her expression of confidence was wavering.

 

“But you did leave,” Gen said, and when Danneel opened her mouth to undoubtedly say that she had to, Gen held up her hand to stop her.

 

“I know, you probably had to. But you never wrote. You knew exactly where I was, who I was, and you didn’t even contact me once. And now, you had me brought here to _marry_ me? After five fucking years!” The last words, Gen screamed.

 

Frustrated, she got up and started pacing angrily. She wasn’t behaving very princessly at the moment, but she didn’t care.

 

“Gen, I’m sorry,” Danneel started, but stopped when Gen whirled around and glared at her.

 

“Danneel,” she said, the name sounding strange and foreign on her tongue. “Danneel. You can’t just order me here after five years under false pretenses. Not if you really cared about me. I could have moved on. I could have been in love with someone else.”

 

Danneel inclined her head. “Adrianne knew. She wouldn’t have proposed a marriage if you’d given your heart to someone else. But she assured me that your aversion to a marriage with one of your nobles was still as strong.”

 

Exasperated, Gen threw her hands up. “But that doesn’t mean that I wanted to marry you. That I wanted to move to another country miles away from my home!”

 

This was unbelievable. Danneel was unbelievable. Gen couldn’t believe this was happening. Why would Danneel even be interested in marrying her? It had to be for political gain. So had Danneel just not cared enough?

 

It hit Gen like a bucket full of icy water. This was a political alliance, and that they had known each other didn’t change that; it was just a bonus. Danneel just hadn’t cared enough to bother to talk to Gen first.

 

“So you just didn’t care, did you?”

 

“Care about what?” Danneel asked. “About you? Of course I do!”

 

Gen glared. “Then why did you rip me away from my home?”

 

When she looked at Danneel, the queen looked stricken. “You always said, you’d love to travel,” she said and it sounded a little helpless. “You said you wanted adventure.”

 

She wasn’t wrong. Gen remembered she had said something like that. And she’d meant it. She’d just never figured it to be permanent.

 

“Yeah, but… why didn’t you tell me? Back then?” Gen asked, helplessly thinking of all the secrets she’d told Elta. How she’d bared her heart and told her of all her fears, of not being able to fulfill her duty without going crazy.

 

“We are bound by an oath of silence. We have to find our way without people knowing who we are,” Danneel explained.

 

Gen huffed. She still remembered the pain when she’d had to go back to the capital. She had already persuaded her brother to stay longer than planned. She’d gone back and she’d thought of Elta every day. She had pined, for god’s sake.

 

“Trust me,” Danneel said, “I wanted nothing more than to be with you.”

 

“Then why didn’t you contact me, later?” Gen asked. “When you’d become a warrior?”

 

Danneel hesitated, then she dragged a hand through her hair. “Is it so bad,” she asked, “that I want to marry you? Do you not care for me anymore? At least a bit?”

 

Of course she did. That was why it hurt so much. But Gen wasn’t prepared to say those words.

 

“That’s not what this is about. You didn’t even ask me!”

 

The queen’s face lit up. “So you do still care for me?”

 

Gen threw up her hands in frustration. “You were my first love! Though right now, I’m not feeling very favorable towards you.”

 

“I can understand that you’re angry—” Danneel started.

 

“Angry?” Gen hissed. “Try fucking livid! Even if you didn’t want to write me when you arrived home, you could at least have had the courtesy of writing to me when you decided you wanted to marry me! Or have Adrianne tell me!”

 

“I thought it would be better to have this conversation in person,” Danneel said stiffly.

 

“You thought wrong,” Gen shot back.

 

Danneel took a deep breath. “I can see that now. Please forgive me for this. But you don’t understand, Gen. The situation was complicated and I had to act the way I thought was right. And I knew you’d loved me then and my spies told me you hadn’t moved on, so I thought you’d be happy here with me.”

 

For a moment, Gen was so shocked she couldn’t speak. She forced herself to recover, to push her own hurt feelings aside at this outrage. “Your spies? I honestly don’t know what’s worse: that you had spies at our court or that you feel so comfortable admitting it.”

 

Danneel made a throwaway hand motion. “Oh please. You know how the game is played, everybody spies on everybody. That’s not what’s important here.”

 

“You’re right, it isn’t. You had them spy on _me_! On my personal life, that’s no part of politics.”

 

With a pleading expression Danneel stepped forward and once again, Gen stepped backwards.

 

“You know, you say you care, but you don’t,” Gen spit out. “In all of this, there was no consideration of _me_.”

 

Danneel opened her mouth to say something but Gen talked over her.

 

“No. You banked on my feelings for you to just go along, and you know what, that actually hurts the most. So fuck you, your Highness.”

 

Gen turned around on her heel and stalked out of the room. She couldn’t bear to keep looking at Danneel’s face for a moment longer.

 

Danneel called after her once, Gen’s name reverberating off the stone pillars, but Gen ignored her. Outside, the two guards were waiting, but Gen ignored them too. She walked down the corridor as quickly as she could without running.

 

She remembered she had to go right if she wanted to get back to her rooms, but to the left, she saw an open arcade. The majestic hallways held aloft by beautiful pillars had seemed open and airy on her way to the throne room, but now felt imposing and stifling. Gen needed to be outside in the fresh air now. She went in the direction of the open arcade and came to a beautiful garden.

 

Surrounded by pale blue marble colonnades, cacti and thick leaved plants of all sizes were growing. Tall palm trees with broad leaves afforded shadows in light-broken patches.

 

Slowy, Gen walked the white pebbled pathways winding through the prickly plants. She’d seen many of them on their travels, but these cacti were adorned with beautiful blossoms. White, red and yellow, they fanned out in star shapes, so unlike their prickly hosts, they almost seemed glued on.

 

One of them was particularly beautiful, a burst of petals so white, the bloom seemed to glow from within. Carefully, Gen touched it, felt the soft petals brush against her fingers. It didn’t look like it belonged.

 

She walked on and in the middle of the garden, beneath a cluster of tightly grown palms, she found two marble benches. Slowly, she sank down onto the nearest bench and buried her face in her hands. She had no idea what she was going to do now.

 

She’d loved Elta for so long, only to be betrayed, disregarded, and then collected like the convenient prize she’d never wanted to be. She thought she could handle it, if it were anyone else, but from the one person she’d ever loved — it might be too much to bear.

 

She felt tears sting her eyes and angrily rubbed her face. What was she doing, sitting here drowning in self-pity? She was a princess. She was strong and intelligent, she wouldn’t let Danneel do this to her. She would find a way to deal with this and come out with her head held high.

  


 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cleaned up and expanded chapter 1 a bit too, to make room for all this... stuff that had me writing 5k more than I anticipated.

Gen hadn’t been able to do much more than fantasize about ways to take revenge on Danneel — humiliating her in front of her whole court and throwing her into a cactus being at the top of the list currently — when she heard the pebbles crunch under approaching footsteps.

 

She stood and prepared herself. But instead of Danneel, whom she’d expected, the tall form of Adrianne came into view. 

 

“Your Highness,” she said with a bow of her head. “May I sit with you?” 

 

Gen deflated and sat down. “Sure. And I assume you were under orders, but just for the record, the way you lied to me and had a part in taking me away from my life was a fucking shitty thing to do.”

 

“I know,” Adrianne said, then sank to one knee and bowed her head again. “It was an unforgivable act, carried out in duty and obedience. I hope one day you’ll be able to forgive me.”

 

The sincerity in Adrianne’s voice threw Gen off, but then again, she shouldn't be surprised. The ambassador had always struck her as a woman of honor and integrity. When Adrianne didn’t raise her head again, Gen realized she needed to say something. 

 

While she would love to give Adrianne a piece of her mind, she knew the ambassador wasn’t to blame. She’d just done her duty. So Gen channeled her inner regal princess.

 

“It is not you I take issue with,” she said. “Please, sit with me, Adrianne.”

 

Adrianne rose, and there was a small, relieved smile on her lips, before she sat down next to Gen and her expression turned sombre again.

 

“Your Highness—”

 

“No. Your queen does not have that power over me. Please, call me Genevieve.”

 

Adrianne looked torn, then she inclined her head in deference. “Genevieve. I’m sorry our actions have hurt you.”  

 

“It’s not like it isn’t my fault either,” Gen admitted bitterly. “I should have let go of a stupid teenage crush a long time ago. Elta — Danneel, she never made me any promises.” Gen laughed harshly at the memories. “Well, she told me she’d never forget me and love me forever, but that’s what you say when you want to get under someone’s skirts, right?”

 

Adrianne flinched. “I can assure you, you were more than just a skirt to conquer.”

 

“How would you know?”

 

“I’m not only the queen’s ambassador, I am her shield sister.”

 

The words sounded profound, but Gen wasn’t that knowledgeable about Lazanian culture yet. “What does that mean?”

 

“It means we grew up together,” Adrianne says, a small, maybe even a little nostalgic smile playing on her lips. “We trained together, in the same sword hall. We were partners in the trials that would allow us to chose a new name and earn our shield out in the world. And when we came back, we sealed our bond with a blood oath, drawn with our new swords.” 

 

Adrianne turned to Gen, fixing her with her slanted blue eyes. “It means, I will protect her with my life. It means, we are friends, sisters, confidants. It means, I would go to the ends of the earth for her and she for me.” Adrianne grinned. “It also means I get to tell her when she’s being an idiot, even though she’s my queen.”

 

“And does that happen often, the queen being an idiot?” Gen asked lightly. 

 

“Only when it comes to you,” Adrianne said, with a completely straight face.

 

Gen didn’t know what to say to that.

 

“Will you listen with an open mind when I tell you something?” Adrianne asked earnestly. 

 

Gen nodded.

 

“Good.” Adrianne leaned forwards, elbows propped up on her knees. She wasn’t looking at Gen. “Marrying you was not the most advantageous match the queen could have entered.”

 

“I knew it,” Gen mumbled under her breath.

 

Adrianne looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

 

“We always assumed she’d marry one of the Dalarun princes to fortify the trading routes.”

 

“It would have been the smart decision,” Adrianne acquiesced. “The one the council wanted. But ever since she took the throne, she had her eyes set on you.” Adrianne hesitated, deliberating what to say. She opened her mouth, then closed it again, obviously discarding that line of thought.

 

“There was a lot of opposition to your match. Especially from the nobles near the border who didn’t want to give up their very profitable raiding. Danneel had to pull a lot of strings and use a lot of leverage to get them to agree.” Adrianne smiled ruefully. “Our queen’s power is not as absolute as your brother’s. Yes, she is the undisputed leader of the army and no one can infringe on her command over our troops, but everything that is considered an internal affair has to pass through the council.”  

 

“I didn't know that,” Gen said quietly. “I thought the council just advises.”

 

“It’s the impression we like to give,” Adrianne admitted. “A strong monarch means a strong country.”

 

“Even so,” Gen said, working through this new information, “even if it took her more time to get their permission for our marriage, she still didn’t ask me, still didn’t tell me!”

 

“I received the message with the council’s blessing the day after your brother organized the great hunt in my honor.”

 

Gen froze. The hunt had happened a week into Adrianne’s three week stay. “You came without their consent.”

 

Adrianne nodded. “There were rumors of your brother negotiating with northern nobles about your hand. We feared time was running out.” Adrianne shrugged with a smile. “The queen didn’t want to take any chances.”

 

Gen considered that. Jeff hadn’t mentioned anything to her, so it couldn’t have been that serious yet, but she knew of the rumors and she’d seen one or two messengers come and go that made her wonder. “What would you have done if your council hadn’t agreed to the alliance?”

 

“I had a message for you.”

 

“What message?” Gen asked hoarsely.

 

“That I still love you and think of you every single day.”

 

Gen startled and whipped her head around. Danneel stood between two high cacti. She must have approached soundlessly because even Adrianne seemed surprised for a moment.

 

“She was to tell you that I wished for nothing greater than to marry you,” Danneel said while walking towards them, “but that I still needed to sort out some political discordants. She was to ask you to wait for me because I would find a way to marry you.”

 

Danneel shot Adrianne a sour look. “But if the negotiations worked out and your brother agreed, she was to  _ remain silent _ and escort you here so that I could tell you in person.”

 

Unconcerned, Adrianne rose. “You were being an idiot,” she told the queen. Then she bowed towards Gen and walked towards the exit of the garden.

 

“I thought you were supposed to have my back,” Danneel said grumpily when Adrianne passed her.

 

Adrianne stopped to put a hand Danneel’s shoulder. “I always do. Now tell her the truth. A relationship based on lies of omission due to fear of abandonment is never a good relationship.”

 

Danneel rolled her eyes. “You spend too much time with the philosophers.”

 

Adrianne grinned and walked away. “Seize the day!” She called out over her shoulder.

 

When Adrianne was gone, Danneel and Gen were left in silence. Gen didn’t know what to expect. Actually, she didn’t even know what to think. The whole day had been like she was caught in the ocean’s crashing waves, drawn under the water’s surface by the strong current again and again, unable to tell up from down. 

 

The wind’s soft breeze blowing warm across Gen’s face was soothing, helping her to clear her head, but she still felt numb, disconnected from the world. This was just too much. Too incomprehensible.

 

“You still love me,” she said into the silence, trying out the words. “You always loved me.”

 

“Yes.” Danneel answered without hesitation, without doubt.

 

“But you don’t know me anymore,” Gen said. 

 

She didn’t know Danneel anymore either. She didn’t know this calm, self-assured warrior queen. She’d known a mischievous peasant girl. And Danneel, she’d known a young princess still shirking her responsibilities by hiding a whole summer away from the court. Danneel had known a girl still growing out of her insecurities, a girl just finding herself just as she was finding love. Danneel had no idea what kind of woman Gen had grown up into.

 

“You’re still Gen,” Danneel said.

 

Gen shook her head. “I grew up. I — I stopped avoiding my duties. I’m no longer that careless girl. You don’t get to call me that anymore, not after what you did.”

 

“Genevieve,” Danneel said, her voice coarse. “I know. I know you’re different now and I want to discover every different facet of you. But I know that deep down inside you're still the same smart, stubborn girl I met. You’re still so brave, you still have such a big heart.”

 

The praise enraged Gen more than anything. Danneel loved her? That much? And she still hadn’t communicated with her once. Gen knew about politics but really.

 

“You think I’m brave?” She asked Danneel, forcing her voice to be soft and sweet, the same cadence she used to charm foreign dignitaries and unruly nobles back home.

 

Danneel nodded firmly. “Yes.”

 

“And smart?”

 

More nodding.

 

Gen stood. “Do you also still think I’m pretty?”

 

She had to hand it to her, Danneel caught on quickly. While she still nodded, her expression turned wary.

 

“Do you still think my skin glows like polished ivory?” She asked, quoting Elta’s words back at Danneel. “That my mouth is more tempting than a summer strawberry?”

 

Danneel opened her mouth but no sound came out.

 

Gen had saved the best for last. “Do you still think,” she repeated Elta’s words, razor sharp and unwilling to keep the venom out of her voice anymore, “that I would be the greatest treasure any queen could ever possess?” 

 

“I don’t want to  _ possess _ you.” Danneel almost spit out the words. “I want to marry you! I want you by my side because I love you.”

 

“And yet,” Gen said, “you never wrote to me once.”

 

Gen had hoped. Had dreamed of a secret message. She’d even gone back to her aunt’s castle the next summer, had gone to the tree she and Elta had met under, where they had carved their initials into the bark. She’d hoped for one little sign but had found nothing. 

 

“I wanted to!” Danneel burst out angrily. She took a deep breath, obviously trying to calm herself down.

 

Gen stood stock still. 

 

“I’m sorry, Gen. Genevieve,” Danneel said, regret and pain etched into her features. “I wanted to write you every day. I wanted to get on my horse and ride day and night, just to see you. When I received my shield, alI I could think about was going back to you. I thought about whisking you away, rescuing you from a marriage you’d detest.”

 

“Why didn’t you?” Gen’s voice was breaking. 

 

Danneel’s smile was tortured. “Because I knew you’d never say yes. Even though you were avoiding the court by staying with your aunt, you’d always be loyal to your family and your country, no matter how much you’d hate your fate.”

 

Gen threw up her hands. “Just because you thought I might marry someone else, you didn’t even want to talk to me? I fucking missed you, okay? I had no way to reach you, didn’t even know where you were. I looked, Danneel, I spent a whole summer looking for the peasant girl Elta. I wanted to talk to you, and you decided for both of us, what, that it wouldn’t be worth it?”

 

“Worth it?” Danneel repeated, face bloodless. “You think I wouldn’t find our communication worth it?” She looked down at her hands, face expressionless except for the minute twitch in her cheek. “I went about this all wrong,”” she said quietly, more to herself.

 

When she looked up again, her expression was resolved. “I never thought there was anything you weren’t worth. I just didn’t think I could bear it. It was impossible to leave the first time.” She laughed, short and hard. “If you hadn’t needed to go back to court, I don’t know if I could have left on my own. But you went. And I understood.”

 

Slowly, Danneel reached out, but her hand paused before it came even close to Gen’s. “You were always destined to marry a noble for a political alliance and no matter how much you’d bitch about it, I knew you would do it.”

 

It hit Gen like a punch to the gut, but it was the truth. Had Danneel shown up a year after they met, asked her to elope with her, she wouldn’t have done it. She’d have done her duty to her country and cried over what could have been forever.

 

“See,” Danneel said, walking towards her and brushing a finger along her cheek, “that right there is why I didn’t go to you, why I didn’t write. I knew, I’d never have a chance with you unless I could get your brother to agree to our marriage. And the only way to do that was to become a political ally.”

 

Gen startled. “What? Did you become queen just so you could marry me?”

 

Slowly, Danneel shook her head. “I don’t know. It was always an option, with my heritage, my reputation.” One corner of her mouth lifted in a wistful half-smile. “But I hadn’t taken it seriously yet, not when I was so young. Usually you don’t compete for the throne until you’re much older, more experienced and respected, have political allies in the council and all that.” Danneel shrugged, smile turning self-deprecating. “There wasn’t any rush, until I got drunk and cried into Adrianne’s shoulder about the amazing princess I could never have and she told me I should just screw tradition, compete for the throne and then marry you when I became queen.”

 

In disbelief, Gen shook her head. “You’re insane. It was risky, you were so young, and — and that’s not even the point. The point is, you still could have written! You still could have asked me about marriage!”

 

This was getting too much, too big. How was Danneel expecting Gen to believe, to understand?

 

Danneel’s lips pressed together, then she huffed, dragging a hand through her hair. “I thought about it, every day. I dreamed about riding up to you, asking for your hand and marrying you on the spot. I thought how shocked your court would be and how maybe your brothers would smile. But until Adrianne actually arrived in your country and started the negotiations, I didn’t know if I’d have enough leverage. And I didn’t—” Danneel took a deep breath. “I didn’t want to write and have you say yes only for your brother to say no. I didn’t think I could bear that.”

 

Helplessly, Gen sat down again. “I hate that you’re kind of making sense.”

 

A tentative smile tugged at the queen's lips and Gen pointed a finger at her. “That does  _ not _ mean I forgive you. You still decided for both of us, you went over my head.”

 

Immediately, Danneel’s face turned somber. “Of course. But Genevieve, you have to understand that I not only needed your brother’s consent, I also needed my council to approve of this marriage.”

 

Danneel hesitated, then she went down on one knee, just like Adrianne had. Gen sucked in a breath. She didn’t know everything of Lazanina culture, but she knew that the queen knelt for no one but the goddess. Even then, the queen never bowed her head. Now, Gen looked down on the crown of Danneel’s head. 

 

“I am sorry. I hope one day you can forgive me for not considering your side in my plans.” Again, Danneel hesitated, her shoulders tense and the hand resting on her knee balled into a fist so tight, the knuckles were turning white under her suntanned skin.

 

“The political situation in my country was precarious. My efforts to bring peace to our border with your country angered a lot of people and one woman rose up from the warriors to challenge me. If she’d known about my intentions towards you, she would have done anything to sabotage me. Even after I vanquished her and her allies, I couldn’t be sure that your brother would agree.”

 

Gen stared at Danneel. A challenger? She’d heard nothing of this but the thought of Danneel’s life in danger made her pulse quicken with worry.

 

“Continuing the lineage is so important for your people,” Danneel continued, “I wasn’t sure your brother would allow our marriage. And I — I was afraid. I couldn’t have lived with your or your brother’s rejection. I was selfish. I wanted you. I couldn’t —” Finally, Dannell looked up, an anguished expression on her face. “I dreamed of you for so long. I thought, if you would just be here, we could rekindle what we had back then.”

 

The love for her was so obvious on Danneel’s face, it made Gen’s heart clench. She might have gone about it all wrong, but for the right reasons. 

 

“Will you forgive me?” Danneel asked, her expression more open and vulnerable than a queen should ever be.

 

Gen couldn’t speak. So many thoughts were still racing through her mind, so many emotions warring in her chest. Her first and only love, that had never really ended, had been brought back full force by seeing Danneel again. Yet she felt so betrayed, so tricked. So used. A pawn in a political game. Because Danneel wanted her.

 

“All this because you want me,” Gen said, struggling to keep her voice even. “But what about what I want?”

 

Gen could live with the disregard of herself by a random noble husband. But not from Danneel. If Danneel truly loved her, she’d never force this upon Gen.

 

Danneel straightened up and looked Gen squarely in the eyes. “If you don’t want this, I’ll let you go home and your brother will still have my full support.” Danneel looked like it was costing her everything to say this. “I hope you’ll reconsider, but if you truly don’t want to marry me, you can go home.”

 

For a moment, the world stopped. Then Gen’s heart started beating overtime until she felt like it was going to burst out of her chest. She had always dreamed of making her own choices and despite everything she’d done to get her here, Danneel was prepared to let her go. 

 

The anger and the fury upon discovering Danneel’s deception had already begun to receded at her sincere apology, now it calmed even more. All that Danneel had gone through — becoming queen so early, reshaping the political landscape at the border — it was, at least in part, for Gen. If Danneel was willing to let it all be in vain...

 

She took a deep breath and tried to keep her expression calm. “Okay.”

 

Danneel looked stricken. “You want to leave?”

 

It took everything Gen had to keep a straight face. She wanted to  _ kiss _ Danneel. There were conversations still to be had and Gen would never let Danneel do this again, but right now she only wanted to climb into Danneel’s lap, run her fingers through her hair and find out if she still smelled like summer grass and peaches.

 

Instead, Gen nodded. “Yes. You deceived me. I want to go home.”

 

For a breath, Danneel’s shoulders slumped, then she straightened herself up and her face turned into an indifferent mask. “Very well. I understand that this may not have been the right approach. But I would never force anyone to marry me. You are free to leave, of course. And I will still honor the treaty with your brother.” Danneel stood and turned away, shoulders tense. “I’ll have my servants pack your things and send a messenger to your brother. Adrianne will escort you to the border.”

 

“And you’ll still send troops to my brother?” Gen asked in disbelief. She couldn’t believe that Danneel would still support her brother militarily, especially if this alliance had brought her nothing but grief. “Even though I’m basically embarrassing you in front of the entire world?”

 

Danneel looked back at her unflinchingly. “I’ll have to live with that.”

 

“But why risk your soldiers’ lives? Your position with the council?” Gen didn’t get it. “You don’t need peace at our borders. In fact, it will make your life so much easier if your people want to take up the border raids again.”

 

“Because I want you safe,” Danneel bit out.

 

Gen was stunned into silence. This, she hadn’t expected. Sure, Danneel proclaimed her love, must be at least infatuated with her to still want to marry her after all this time, said she still loved her but that…

 

Danneel sat down on the other bench with a sigh. “Genevieve, you are the most infuriatingly smart, strong and beautiful woman I have ever met. That you come from a culture in which women will always play second fiddle makes you all the more impressive. I fell in love with you five summers ago, and I never stopped. So trust me when I say I want you and your kingdom safe, no matter if you’re with me or not.” For a second, Danneel rubbed her hands over her face, then she looked up determinedly. “I want you happy. I thought I could give you that, here. But if you chose to leave, just tell me, if there’s ever a chance to forgive me, if you’d ever return a letter I’d send?”

 

“No,” Gen said and felt herself smile maniacally.

 

“No,” Dannel echoed her, voice hollow and fists clenched. “Alright, I will have to accept that.” She closed her eyes, took a deep breath. When she looked at Gen her face was regally impassive. She was letting Gen go and she was being honorable about it. “Now, as I said, Adrianne… Gen, what—”

 

But Danneel could speak no further, because Gen had crossed the few steps to her, climbed into her lap and was shutting her up with her mouth.

 

“I love you,” she said against Danneel’s mouth when she had to come up for air. “I tried so hard to forget you, but I couldn’t.”

 

Danneel’s nose was still scrunched up in confusion. Gen couldn’t believe it, but the mighty warrior queen looked kind of adorable.

 

“But you said…”

 

Gen couldn’t contain her laughter, the happiness bubbling out of her. “I had to be sure. Besides, it’s not like you didn’t deserve it.”

 

“You—” Danneel started, then she stopped and glared. “You're unbelievable.”

 

“Still love me?” Gen asked, tempted to stick out her tongue at Danneel.

 

Danneel let herself fall back against the palm behind the bench, taking Gen with her so she was lying half on top of her. “Goddess help me, I do.”

 

Even while she was still talking, Danneel’s mouth hungrily found Gen’s again, so Gen figured she’d be fine. More than fine actually, because fuck, Danneel’s tongue was just as talented as she’d remembered and she still smelled faintly of strawberries.

 

When they finally pulled apart, Gen’s lips were swollen and tingling and the wetness in her panties made her squirm. She wanted to kiss Danneel again, run around screaming in joy, jump down a waterfall only to have sex with Danneel on a lake shore. She wanted to write Jared a letter about the happiness she’d found, send a herald to shout it from the rooftops and persuade Danneel to take a wedding trip back home, so Gen could show off the incredible queen she had married.

 

“So, just to be clear,” Danneel said, breathing slightly labored. “You’ll stay? You’ll marry me?”

 

“That’s what I just said, isn’t it?” Gen grinned. “Though I do reserve the right to bring up your lack of communication whenever we have a fight and if you ever treat me as less than equal, I’ll be riding out of here so fast, you won’t see more than a cloud of dust.”

 

“Of course. But you have nothing to worry about. You’ll be my queen. You’ll always be my queen.”

 

Danneel’s smile was so blinding, Gen had to kiss her. Since Danneel kissed her back and it was pretty much the best thing Gen had felt in five years, she couldn’t stop.

 

They made out like they had when they were teenagers, slick sliding of lips against each other, labored breathing exchanged in a few moments before they pulled back far enough to look into each other's eyes. Gen slid her arms over Danneel’s shoulders, let her hands roam over her back and tangled her fingers in her long, soft hair.

 

In turn, Danneel drew her in tight, her hands hot on Gen’s hips and lower back, sensually cupping her ass. Gen scooted forward on Danneel’s lap and pressed her breasts against hers.

 

“Wait,” Danneel said, drawing back. A high flush was coloring her cheeks and her pupils were blown wide in the glowing evening sun. “We should take this inside.”

 

Gen didn’t think she could let go of Danneel long enough to get to some kind of bed. Besides, their entire love making that summer had taken place outside under a canopy of leaves. 

 

“Aren’t you the queen?” She asked. “Can’t you fuck your new wife in your own courtyard?”

 

Danneel groaned and squeezed her eyes shut. When she opened them, her expression was determined. “Definitely.”

 

Then, before she could fully process what was happening, Danneel stood, lifted Gen with her, then turned and deposited her on her back on the warm marble bench. Danneel knelt down at the far end of the bench and gripped Gen’s hips to pull her closer.

 

Gen’s dress rose up in the process, leaving her bare-legged with Danneel’s head in front of her knees.

 

Slowly, Danneel raised her hands to Gen’s knees, reverently putting her hands to them and leaning in to press an open mouthed kiss to the inside. “Can I?” She asked, putting minute pressure on Gen’s knees to ease them apart.

 

Gen opened her knees. She was so ready for Danneel to touch her, she couldn’t feel any shame about her own wantonness. Besides, Danneel had always loved that about her, and thinking of back then, thinking of Danneel’s talented tongue and fingers, there was no way Gen would refuse her. 

 

She heard Danneel draw in a sharp breath, then she slid her hands torturously slow up Gen’s legs. Alternating, Gen felt the pads of Danneel’s fingers softly on her skin, then the pleasantly sharp contrast of her short nails. Danneel’s mouth followed, trailing a wake of burning kisses up the sensitive inside of Gen’s thighs. 

 

By the time Danneel’s hands had reached Gen’s panties and were slowly pulling at the thin laces holding them together at the sides, Gen was a panting mess.

 

“Please, Danneel. I waited so long…”

 

Danneel leaned in and pressed a kiss to Gen’s panties, right between her legs. Then she rested her head against Gen’s thigh, her hair tickling Gen’s skin. 

 

“So did I. Please, let me give you this. Let me savor you.” And when Danneel looked up at Gen from under her long dark lashes, Gen couldn’t say no. Danneel snorted lovingly. “You pretend as if this is going to a hardship for you.”

 

Gen laughed. She loved this side of Danneel, had loved it back when she was still Elta and was always so fondly exasperated with Gen’s impish ways. Gen had teased her with outrageous demands, just to see Elta roll her eyes with a helpless smile. It was gratifying to know Gen could still elicit the same reaction.

 

“Why don’t you get up here?” Gen tried to coax, running her foot along Danneel’s hip. “I miss your mouth. I haven’t kissed anyone in years, you know.”

 

“Oh, I’m going to kiss you,” Danneel said darkly and then she pulled down Gen’s panties. 

 

Ripped may be be a more apt descriptor, judging from the sounds of tearing fabric, but Gen couldn’t really pay any attention to that because a moment later, Danneel’s hot breath was fanning over Gen’s sex and then Danneel leaned in to kiss her, right at the top of her slit, dipping her tongue in teasingly.

 

“Okay,” Gen said, heat exploding through her body. “Okay, not that, this is not — oh gods.” Her back arched off the bench when Danneel applied her whole mouth and pressed her tongue against Gen’s clit. “This is great, obviously, I mean, oh, that, right there, that… That’s great, but I want—-” she lost her train of thought as Danneel continued to play her like a finely tuned instrument, first with her tongue and then also adding her fingers, slowly sliding them into Gen.

 

It took a while for Gen to remember that she actually wanted to reciprocate. 

 

“Danee— oh fuck. Danneel, please, can you — I want to…”

 

Danneel pulled back, but didn’t stop moving her fingers, rubbing teasing circles around Gen’s clit. “Let me do this. I want to do this for you.” She hadn’t pulled back far enough for her mouth to disconnect with Gen’s skin when she spoke, and the words vibrated against Gen’s pussy.

 

“Okay,” Gen gave up. “But I get my turn later.”

 

Danneel replied by putting her mouth back on Gen. There wasn’t much Gen could do, besides getting her fingers into Danneel’s hair to hold on and remember to breathe. Every move of Danneel’s tongue, every stroke of her fingers sent heat crawling through her body, pushing her closer to the edge. Gen was already so close, muscles tensing in anticipation of the feeling of Danneel taking her apart, that her body remembered. It was as though the summer with Elta had been yesterday.

 

When her climax came, it knocked her breath away. With a rough moan, it shot through Gen’s body, waves of pleasure crashing through her, one following on the other’s heel. When she finally came down from the high, her whole body was buzzing pleasantly, and Danneel was hovering over her, trailing a finger along Gen’s lips before leaning down to kiss her.

 

Pleased, Gen hummed into the kiss and reached for Danneel’s hip, fully intent on getting her hands on Danneel, but Danneel pulled back and stood.

 

“It’s getting late. How about we find something to eat?” Danneel said. “And you spent half the day in the saddle, I’m sure you want something more comfortable than a hard bench.”

 

Danneel was right, it was slowly getting dark and now that she mentioned food, Gen realized how hungry she was. While she adjusted her dress, she still thought it was a bit strange that Danneel was so unconcerned about her own pleasure.

 

She wasn’t sure where her insecurity came from all of a sudden, but she fidgeted a bit until she said, “but later, you want—”

 

Danneel pulled her in for a devastating kiss before Gen could finish her thought. “Yes. Later, I want. But for now, I’m gonna get you something to eat and then we’ll get you settled. You have your own rooms, but I was hoping we could share a bed.” 

 

A giant grin spread over Gen’s face. “I’d love that. Unless you snore, of course.”

 

“Like a tired plough horse,” Danneel deadpanned.

 

Gen tipped a finger against Danneel’s button nose. “Probably more like a little field mouse,” she teased. “Now feed me!”

 

Danneel shook her head, a fond smile playing on her lips. “Yes, Your Highness.”

 

Gen swallowed. She remembered what she’d said in anger. “You know you can call me Gen. Everybody does.”

 

“Everybody?” Danneel raised an eyebrow. “I remember you told me no one ever called you that.”

 

Gen felt a blush creep over her cheeks but she answered honestly. “I liked it when you called me that, and when you were gone I told people to call me Gen to remember you by.”

 

Danneel’s face scrunched up while she obviously considered if she like that. In the end she settled on slightly annoyed. “Well, I’ll just have to find a new name for you that’ll be mine alone.”

 

Gen pulled a face. “If that makes you happy. Now, can we raid the kitchen?”

 

An impish smile spread across Danneel’s face, one that Gen remembered from when she’d gone apple stealing with Elta. “Yes, I think we can. If we take the back entrance the cook won’t even see us and I won’t get a lecture on not holding a seven course welcome dinner for my new bride.”

 

Gen laughed all the way to the window that lead to the back of the kitchen. Then she shut up, right until the moment where Danneel, befitting a fearsome warrior of her station, soundlessly broke into her own kitchen, turned triumphantly to Gen only to bump into the matronly cook when she was walking backwards to make room for Gen.

 

Gen’s laughter sounded through the entire kitchen vault and Danneel’s joined hers. The cook didn’t look amused but she gave them a meal anyway.

  
  
  


It was pitch dark when they finally went to bed. Danneel had ordered several servants to bring all of Gen’s luggage to her rooms.

 

Gen rummaged around in one of her large travel bags in search of a night gown. She wondered if she should even bother, but her imagining how the rest of the night could go was rudely interrupted by a gigantic yawn that forced its way out of her mouth.

 

“Someone’s tired,” Danneel said behind her, her voice tinged with fondness.

 

Gen turned around and smiled sheepishly. “It was kind of a long day.”

 

Danneel stepped closer. She’d already gotten rid of all her jewelry and her fancy dress. She wore nothing more than a dark, sleeveless linen shirt that barely reached her knees. 

 

“Come to bed,” Danneel said and took Gen’s hand, pulling her towards the giant four poster bed.

 

Gen tried for a lewd grin, but Danneel just laughed. “You can barely keep your eyes open. And we have all the time in the world.” She pressed a soft kiss to Gen’s lips. “There’s nothing we have to do tomorrow. I’d like to show you the palace, apart from that, we can spend the whole day in bed.” She grinned. “I told the court they’re not getting to meet you until the day after tomorrow.”

 

“That sounds great.” 

 

Gen was standing at the edge of the bed, still wearing her travel clothes and holding her nightgown in her hand. She’d washed her face and brushed her hair, but she hadn’t changed clothes yet.

 

Danneel seemed to realize that too, because she sat down on the bed and busied herself with pulling back the thin linen covers. “I can give you space, if you want.”

 

Gen snorted. “Don’t be ridiculous. It’s not like you haven’t seen me naked before.” Then she pulled off her dress.

 

Danneel stared.

 

Despite the fatigue pulling at all of Gen’s muscles and the heaviness of her eyelids, she took her time to carefully unwind her breast-band.

 

Danneel kept her eyes fixed on Gen the entire time. 

 

“Still want to go to sleep?” Gen teased when she pulled on the nightgown.

 

Licking her lips, Danneel nodded. “Yes. You look tired.”

 

Unfortunately, that was true. While the weight of Danneel’s gaze and the obvious adoration in it had made Gen’s skin tingle, she knew as soon as her back hit the mattress, she’d fall asleep.

 

So she got into bed and after a little bit of shuffling around, she and Danneel were lying face to face with their heads sharing one big pillow.

 

“I’m so happy you’re here,” Danneel said quietly.

 

Under the blanket, Gen reached for Danneel’s hand. “I’m so glad my future spouse turned out to be you.”

 

Danneel’s smile was small but pleased. She pulled Gen’s hand up to her mouth and pressed a kiss against her knuckles. “Gen.”

 

Gen’s eyes fluttered closed, and it was too exhausting to open them again. “Dannee…” she mumbled, falling asleep before she’d finished the name. 

 

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

 

Disoriented, Gen woke to an empty bed. It took a few moments for her to remember where she was and what had happened the day before. It still felt so surreal. She was here, with Danneel. In Danneel’s bed. In Danneel’s room. Because Danneel was going to be her wife. Her queen. Gen would marry her first love.

 

She couldn't contain a laugh and rolled around, burying her head in the pillow. She turned on her back again, staring up at the high vaulted ceiling. Dark green vines were painted along the ribs carrying the vault. Gen really loved all the architecture she’d seen here, much more than the stifling, thick walled buildings of her home. She’d have to get Danneel to give her a tour of her new home. 

 

For some reason, Danneel wasn’t here. She probably had to take care of some affairs of state or other. A queen never stopped being a queen, the day’s work never done.

 

For a moment, Gen was sad to wake up alone, but then she realized she could have a look at Danneel’s room without her being here. Considering Danneel had people spy on her, it was only fair that Gen got her opportunity. 

 

She sat up and looked around. Last night, she hadn’t paid a lot of attention to Danneel’s bedroom.

 

It was smaller than her own bedroom at home with large windows opening to a garden. Curious, Gen got out of bed. Outside the windows, the garden was not the same one she’d been in last night. It was surrounded by an open arcade, planted with cacti and the long thick leaved plants Gen had come to know, but in the middle, instead of trees and a bench, it had a had a shallow pool in the form of a winding snake. Palms and high ferns were lining the edge to offer shade.

 

In the right corner she saw a narrow flight of winding stairs. She checked the inside of Danneel’s bedroom, and there was a small alcove with a wooden door that led outside to the stairs. 

 

The bedroom was still pleasantly cool, while outside the sun was heating the air again. Taking a swim in the refreshing water was incredibly tempting. “Maybe another day,” Gen decided and turned back to the room.

 

She walked past a beautiful vanity with a high, gold framed mirror. The table was littered with little pots and vials, a disorder she hadn’t expected from Danneel. Then again, there was so much she didn’t know about the woman Elta had grown up into. It was time to find out.

  
  
  


Danneel returned when Gen was standing in her dressing room in front of a display case filled with beautifully forged daggers.

 

“That’s a lot of daggers,” Gen commented when she heard Danneel walk in.

 

Danneel stepped up beside her and pulled Gen back against her chest. “They’re ceremonial. One for each festival in honor of the goddess,” she said and nuzzled her face into Gen’s neck. “Sorry I wasn’t here when you woke up.”

 

“Important state affairs?” Gen asked and leaned back against Danneel.

 

“Very. Five different delegations were here to pay their respects to you. I had to tell them you weren’t rested enough to receive them and to come back tomorrow.”

 

Gen snorted. “Great. Now they’ll all think I’m some dainty little northern princess that can’t handle a little riding.”

 

Danneel kissed her neck. “I don’t think so. Adrianne tells me I’m not being subtle.”

 

Gen’s laugh came out a little breathless because Danneel was kissing her way down to Gen’s shoulder. “I’m not sure whether the queen being a sex fiend is better.”

 

Now it was Danneel who laughed. “We’re very physical people. Not as prudish as you northerners. Trust me, they approve. And as soon as they see you, they’ll understand why I didn’t want to let you out of bed. Besides, they’re waiting for an heir.”

 

Gen straightened up and turned around to look up into Danneel’s twinkling eyes. “An heir?”

 

Danneel nodded and Gen was shell-shocked. Ever since she’d known she would marry a woman she’d stopped considering children. Despite not knowing how they were going to have children, the idea made something warm spread through her. A child, maybe two, with Danneel? It sounded like all her summer day dreams coming true. But how…

 

“I thought succession is decided through competition.” Gen slowly worked through the possibilities. “How would we have a child anyways? Are you...” Gen hesitated, not sure how to phrase this. “Are you going to sleep with someone else? Or do I…?”

 

“No.” Danneel violently shook her head. “No one else. Just us.”

 

“Then I don’t understand.”

 

“Breakfast?” Danneel asked abruptly. 

 

“Danneel,” Gen said sternly, because this was both worrying and contrary to what Gen needed from this relationship. “No more lies. I can’t — if I stay here with you, you can’t lie to me, or keep me in the dark about things.”

 

A shadow passed over Danneel’s face and she took Gen’s hands and squeezed them reassuringly. “Breakfast. Then I explain, I promise. I’ll never lie to you again.”

 

“Fine,” Gen allowed. She was sure this was going to come up again at some point in their relationship, but she knew she could hold her own in an argument. And she was getting very hungry.

 

When they returned to the master bedroom, a table was set in front of the open windows. It was laden with fruit, bread and cheese, and a carafe with bright orange liquid.

 

“What’s that?” Gen asked curiously.

 

“Orange juice.”

 

Gen knew what oranges were. The merchants brought them from the southern countries and Gen loved the orange fruits, loved to peel them and pry apart their slices. But to make juice from them… The amount of oranges needed for that seemed excessive.

 

“We have whole farms growing orange trees in the western regions,” Danneel explained, apparently catching onto Gen’s wonder. “Do you still like them? I remember how you rhapsodized about oranges so I thought you’d like to have some of their juice.”

 

Gen stared at Danneel in wonder. “How do you remember all of this?”

 

“Your eyes get a beautiful glow when you rave about something you like,” Danneel said, completely unfazed and motioned for Gen to sit down.

 

A warm, fuzzy feeling spread through Gen and she sat, sure she was grinning like a fool. 

 

They ate and Gen tried every fruit Danneel offered her. Some of them she knew already, like peaches and apricots, but they tasted better here, fresher. Others, like the papaya, were completely new to her. She loved all of them and let Danneel hand-feed her. The orange juice was even better than Gen had imagined. She had an inkling that it would become her favorite part of breakfast.

 

“Do papayas grow on trees as well?” Gen asked, curiously raising the red-fleshed fruit with the round black seeds.

 

“Yes,” Danneel said, eyeing Gen strangely. “It looks a bit like a palm tree.”

 

Gen nodded, then noticed Danneel still eyeing her curiously. “What?”

 

“Papaya trees?”

 

Gen shrugged, trying to hide her nerves. “I like to know how things grow.”

 

Danneel cocked her head. “That’s new.”

 

“I told you, I’ve changed.”

 

Slowly, Danneel nodded. “I’m not very knowledgable about plants but I’m sure we can find someone who can explain our vegetation to you.”

 

“Do you have an agriculture minister?” Gen asked carefully.

 

Danneel’s blank expression told her they didn’t.

 

“I was just thinking, on the way here,” Gen said, “well, I was curious, why you didn’t grow more wine grapes on the sunny, dry slopes and well, there was generally not a lot of crops.” Gen trailed off when Danneel’s face gave no indication of what she was thinking.

 

“It’s very dry in our northern regions,” Danneel said slowly. “It rains in winter, but rarely in summer.”

 

“But that’s perfect for winter crops!” Gen said excitedly, running through the options in her head. “Grapes for wine, pumpkin, beans, with your temperatures you could probably even grow watermelon! The land looked perfect for dryland farming.”

 

“Dryland farming,” Danneel repeated.

 

Gen licked her lips. “Look, I don’t want to overstep, but there was all the land, lying waste, and I just thought I’d ask.”

 

Danneel’s face gave nothing away. Gen squared her shoulders.

 

“I’m not sure who the person is I should talk to about this, but I have an extensive education in agriculture and farming, and I believe I could be an asset to you and your regency. I know the consort takes on a mostly symbolic role, but you know me. I don’t do well sitting around on my thumbs.”

 

“Agriculture though?” Danneel asked and for the first time Gen could read something on her face. Incredulity and curiosity were at war in Danneel’s eyes.

 

Gen shrugged, trying to discount the question. “There aren’t that many options for women in my country to take part in the actual governing. Agriculture seemed to me like something a future husband might still accept. Beside, I like being outdoors, watching things grow and working with my hands in the dirt.”

 

Smiling, Danneel reached out and took Gen’s hand. “I remember your love for the outdoors.” Then she raised Gen’s hands to her lips and kissed it. “You’re full of surprises. I’ll introduce you to Samantha tomorrow. She’s the one overseeing food storage, of grain mostly, and food taxes.”

 

“Really?” Gen asked. She couldn’t believe it was so easy. She’d be able to do something, even though she’d only advise.

 

“Minister of agriculture,” Danneel repeated. “You know, having sufficient provisions is almost half of leading a successful campaign. What else would you suggest?”

 

The rest of the meal, Gen ran through the observations she’d made of her trip, everything she knew about dryland farming, the demands of trade and how to entice vintners to move from Gen’s country to Lazania.

 

Danneel was an attentive listener, clearly valuing Gen’s input. It was heady, and very distracting from the matter Gen still wanted to discuss. When Danneel leaned in for a strawberry flavored kiss and then just didn’t stop, Gen had to force herself to push Danneel away.

 

“Stop. And don’t give me that look—” Danneel’s face was doing an endearing mix of pouty and confusion — “but we still have to talk. You can’t just say something about having heirs and then not explain.” 

 

Chastened, Danneel leaned back. “You’re right, I’m sorry. And I’ll explain. It’s just… Don’t freak out.”

 

“That doesn’t sound ominous  _ at all _ .”

 

Danneel gave her a rueful smile. “It’s not something we share with outsiders.”

 

Gen raised her eyebrows.

 

Danneel pulled a grimace. “It’s difficult.”

 

“Why don’t you start at the beginning?” Gen asked, getting really worried now. She had no idea where this conversation was going, but the wildest theories were crossing her mind. Would Gen have to have sex with a royally appointed breeder? Would Danneel?

 

“At the beginning,” Danneel repeated. “Okay.”

 

She scooted closer to Gen on the bench and took her hand. “So, in the beginning, when our country was still young, it was ruled by men, like all the other countries.”

 

“I didn’t mean that beginning,” Gen protested, because she was bursting with curiosity and she didn’t have the patience for a history lesson.

 

Danneel just shook her head. “No, this is a good idea. It’ll make the most sense. I hope,” she tacked on.

 

Gen let out a sigh. “Just so you know, I’m sitting on pins and needles here.”

 

“I promise, it’s nothing bad,” Danneel said. “It's just… unusual.”

 

“Unusual how?”

 

“If you would just let me tell the story,” Danneel said with annoyance, but Gen was pretty sure she was faking it.

 

Danneel’s teasing put her a little bit at ease, so she demurely folded her hands in her lap. “I’ll be quiet now.”

 

Danneel snorted, then she started to talk again. “Like I said, we used to have a patriarchy, just like anyone else. It was just so much worse here. Women were treated like property and had no rights. The last king, Frederic, was especially cruel. He was incompetent, too, and was driving the country to the brink of destruction with the senseless wars he was losing. One day, his wife went once again to pray for guidance. But instead of praying to the men’s god, she went to a small, almost forgotten temple with a statue of the goddess. She prayed for guidance and the dagger that the statue was holding fell out of her hand and to the wife’s feet. She took it as a sign and went home and killed the king. She became our first queen.”

 

When Danneel caught Gen’s shocked expression, she smiled. “Or at least, that’s how the story goes.”

 

“I had no idea,” Gen said.

 

Danneel waved her off. “There’s more. Uprisings, battles, women warriors training in secret and so on. At some point, after the goddess blessed the first female led army and we won back the lands in the south we’d lost before, the women took charge. And that’s how it has been ever since.”

 

Gen nodded. “Okay. I still don’t get how that affects the whole us having an heir thing.”

 

“Well, our first queen already had a young daughter, Katherine, who succeeded her. Kathrine however, who grew up with her father’s cruel and brutal upbringing and his disappointment about not having a son, swore that no man would ever have a part in succession. So after Katherine died, the warriors with royal blood competed for the throne. Over time, the ritual became an elaborate process. Not every queen who ever won the throne was fit to rule though.”

 

“What happens when a queen is not fit to rule?” Gen asked.

 

“With an unanimous vote by the council, she can be forced to abdicate.” Danneel explained. “Or, with the majority of the council’s permission, a challenge can be issued.”

 

Gen drew in a sharp breath. “Is that what happened with your challenger?”

 

Danneel’s mouth pulled into a hard line. “Yes. There are a lot of border lords on the current council. They were not happy with my efforts to curb the raiding.”

 

“Will they try again?” Gen asked worriedly.

 

Danneel shook her head. “No. To get their support for our marriage, I took a few of our troops out east and retook the lake lands we lost a few generations ago.”

 

Gen opened her mouth, then closed it again. Last she knew, the lake lands were held by the brutal Valiry. “You retook the lake lands? Just like that?” Gen finally managed to ask.

 

“It was what it took to marry you,” Danneel said simply.

 

Gen reached out for the silvery scar on Danneel’s collar bone and wondered how many more she’d discover when she’d see Danneel naked again. “Did it take this too, to marry me?”

 

“I got it when I fought for the throne,” Danneel said. “So in a way, yes.”

 

Gen leaned back. “You keep distracting me.”

 

Danneel laughed. “I keep trying to tell the story, but you keep interrupting me.”

 

Gen pressed her lips together and motioned with her hand to go on.

 

“Alright,” Danneel continued. “So either a queen abdicates, is challenged, or dies and then contenders compete for the throne. However, if she has a daughter that is deemed fit to rule, she will succeed her mother on the throne. It’s actually the preferred version, because having a daughter means you’re blessed by the goddess, but it doesn’t always happen.”

 

“How  _ does _ it happen, if no man is supposed to be involved?” Gen asked. 

 

“Well,” Danneel said and took a deep breath. “This is where it gets weird.”

 

If Danneel wouldn’t tell her soon, Gen would go crazy.

 

“Remember our second queen, Katherine? The one who didn’t want a man to be involved in the succession?”

 

“Yes,” Gen said emphatically. 

 

“Legend goes that she made a deal with the goddess’ priestess to grant every queen fertility without needing a man. Somehow, the priestess twisted her wish.” Danneel grimaced. “Or maybe the priestess really was a sorceress who messed up the spell. We’re not sure.”

 

“Oh, gods, just tell me!” Gen burst out. 

 

Danneel took Gen’s hands and started to rub them. It was probably meant to be soothing, but Gen was not soothed at all. 

 

“Instead of giving women the ability to conceive children without a man, she gave the queens the ability to sire children. With another woman.”

 

“What?” Gen asked, completely flabbergasted.

 

Danneel looked down at her lap, then up at Gen again. “When I spent a night in prayer at the goddess’ temple at my coronation, my body was changed.”

 

“Your body,” Gen repeated, not really comprehending what Danneel was trying to tell her even though it was so obvious. “Your body  _ changed _ .”

 

Gen stared at Danneel’s breasts who looked very much unchanged from when Gen had known her five years ago. “How exactly, did you change?”

 

Danneel smiled impishly. “I got one extra part.”

 

Gen was still staring. She couldn’t really wrap her mind around what she was hearing. “An extra part,” she repeated with a croaky voice, like one of those colorful parrots her aunt had owned.

 

Slowly, Danneel’s smile brittled, then faded. “Look, Gen, I won’t force you to do anything you don’t want, I’d never do that, you know that, right?”

 

Gen nodded even though the picture she had in her mind didn’t make any sense at all. Then, suddenly, the full magnitude of what Danneel had just told her, occurred to her. “Holy fuck, you could get me pregnant!”

 

Danneel nodded. “Theoretically. If you want.”

 

“If I want,” Gen repeated. “You just said, people are expecting an heir.”

 

Danneel raised her shoulders. “Yeah, but only if you want. I know you weren’t fond of the idea of having children back then, so…”

 

“No. Well, yes,” Gen amended. “I just didn’t want to have like fifteen children with a man I’d tolerate, at best. I mean, you know how things are back home.” Gen made a throwaway motion with her hand. She’d never wanted that and she hadn’t made a secret of it. But having a small family, with someone she loved… she’d fantasized about her and Elta, raising maybe adopted children. The possibility of having biological children, it made something in her bloom and filled her with a deep, glowing happiness. 

 

“One, or maybe two,” she told Danneel, “with someone I love, that would be alright.”

 

“Alright?” Danneel asked.

 

Gen rolled her eyes. “Come on, you’ve got to give me some time to process this. I mean, I’m still having trouble believing this is actually real!”

 

“Well.” Danneel licked her lips and then stood. “I could just show you.”

 

Again, Gen looked down to Danneel’s lap. She couldn’t see any evidence of anything that would be different to what she’d expect.

 

“So, you really…” She started, but then the words deserted her. She had no idea how to verbalize what she was feeling.

 

“Have a dick?” Danneel asked dryly. “Yes, I do.”

 

Still staring, Gen nodded. A dick. Danneel had a dick. She really did. “Alright. That’s… alright.”

 

Then there was a hand on her own and Gen looked up into Danneel’s concerned eyes. “Look, I know this might be weird, but I promise, it’s just a regular dick.”

 

A regular dick. Gen choked out a laugh. Oh gods, did Danneel expect her to know what to do with that?

 

“I didn’t—” Gen swallowed, then straightened her back. She would not lose her head over a penis, for fuck’s sake. “I don’t really have any experience with dicks,” she said and she was proud of how even her voice was.

 

Danneel’s mouth fell open in surprise. “You never fooled around with any of the men at court?” 

 

Gen shook her head. “Not really. I mean, I made out with this one guy, but it wasn’t…” Gen shrugged helplessly, trying not to think of the awkward fumblings under their clothes. “I think you ruined me for everyone else. No one else really came close.”

 

For a moment, Danneel looked like Gen had punched all the air out of her lungs, then she surged forwards and pressed a hard kiss to her mouth. 

 

Gen wanted to laugh, but Danneel kept kissing her, swallowing every sound with her lips.

 

“You,” Danneel pressed out between kisses, “you’re the only one I’ve ever dreamed of. I never stopped thinking about you.”

 

Gen leaned back and pressed a finger to Danneel’s mouth. “It’s okay. I didn’t think you were celibate the last five years.”

 

“I might as well have been,” Danneel said insistently, eyes fixed on Gen’s face. “They didn’t mean anything and they pale to nothingness compared to what it feels like to touch you again.”

 

With a smile Gen leaned forwards and pressed a soft kiss to Danneel’s mouth. “I believe you.”

 

Relieved, Danneel leaned back. “Okay. Now, do you want to see?”

 

Again, Gen couldn’t help but look down to Danneel’s lap and where her tunic had fallen in soft folds, there was a slight bulge between her legs now. She thought about the horror stories one of her nurses had told, about the pain of lying with a man, but this was Danneel. She trusted her. And if it would hurt the first time, Gen would be able to handle it. 

 

So Gen stood and Dani followed her. On the way to the bed, Gen remembered the possibility of pregnancy. 

 

“You know,” she said while she sat down on the bed, slid back and pulled her knees up under Danneel’s wary gaze. “I know I said I want children, and I do, but we don’t have to start right away, do we? We could take some time to get to know each other again?”

 

Danneel followed her onto the bed. “Of course,” she said. “We can wait however long you want. And to be honest, I’d love to have you for myself for a while.”

 

Gen smiled. “Good.”

 

They would have children one day. The thought made Gen happy until she remembered her own family. “Oh gods, how do I explain that to my brothers?”

 

Just thinking of Jared’s face when she’d tell him made her choke out a hysteric laugh.

 

“Well,” Danneel said thoughtfully, “usually we just say it’s a gift from the goddess and people are left to fill in the blanks. No queen has married outside our country in over fifty years anyway. But you’re free to tell them whatever you want.”

 

Gen grinned. She’d have to think of the best way to shock her brothers with this information.

 

“Alright. Then show me what you got.”

 

With a laugh, Dani pulled off her tunic. Her breast band was more compact than Gen’s, one broad piece of fabric, bisected in the middle and held up by two broad strips leading over her shoulders. Her body was littered with scars, some thin and white, others more jagged and slightly raised, and Gen vowed to take inventory of them later, after she’d dealt with what Danneel’s panties were hiding. 

 

The smooth black fabric stretched tightly over the outline of Danneel’s new part.

 

After Danneel, still kneeling on the bed, had taken off her breast band, distracting Gen momentarily from everything else, she moved to take off her panties. Gen reached out to stop her. 

 

“Can I?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Gen worried her lip, pondering what she wanted, then she gripped Danneel’s hip, reveling in the warm and smooth skin under her fingers and pushed Danneel down on the bed.

 

The queen went willingly, allowing Gen to move her however she wanted. Shortly, Gen was distracted by a circular scar right below Danneel’s right breast. 

 

She softly touched her finger to it, felt the knobbly surface of the scar tissue.

 

“A Valirian arrow,” Danneel remarked off-handedly. “It wasn’t bad.”

 

Gen didn’t know if she’d ever get used to the casual way Danneel talked about the dangers of war. She leaned forward to press a kiss to the scar, then let her lips follow the swell of Danneel’s breast until she could suck lightly at her nipple. 

 

Danneel moaned in response and one of her hands tangled in Gen’s hair while the other followed the curve of her hip, already tugging at the fabric of Gen’s dress. 

 

“Let me.”

 

“Oh no,” Gen said, sitting up. She pulled off the nightgown she was still wearing from last night. “It’s my turn today. You can look and touch, but I get to lead.”

 

Danneel let herself fall back against the pillows. “Alright. But if you break me, you’ll have to explain it to Adrianne.”

 

Gen laughed and felt the tension leak out of her. Trust Danneel to put her at ease.

 

“Danneel,” she started, but Danneel reached up and touched a finger to her mouth. 

 

“After — last night, you called me Dani. I — I liked that.”

 

Gen raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t think it was allowed to change the queen’s name. Adrianne told me names, especially the queen’s are sacred.”

 

Danneel brushed her thumb along Gen’s jaw. “So is what we have.”

 

“Dani,” Gen said, sounding out the name. “I like it. I’ll keep that I think.”

 

Danneel smiled as if Gen had given her the world. Gen was sure her own smile was just as bright. Then she focused back on the task at hand and let her hand trail down Danneel’s flat stomach. The muscles under her fingers contracted, reminding her of Danneel’s strength, of her body primed for war. There was another scar, crisscrossing her left hipbone. Gen trailed her fingers over the sharply raised skin. 

 

“It wasn’t—” Danneel started.

 

“Don’t,” Gen cut her off. “Don’t tell me it wasn’t bad or close. You’re body is marked from every war you fought.”

 

Danneel made an offended noise. “I don’t get hurt every time. I’m quite capable, you know.”

 

Despite herself, Gen had to laugh. She still couldn’t tear her eyes away from the silvery pale marks.

 

Gently, Danneel took Gen’s hand. “There’s no war now.”

 

Gen grabbed Danneel’s hand tight, felt the calluses on her palm, left by every sword and every spear she’d wielded. Gen wasn’t sure how to put this lump in her throat into words.

 

“You’re still a warrior,” Gen said, not looking up from Danneel’s strong fingers. “There’s always going to be a fight.”

 

“And every time I ride out, I’ll know what I’m fighting for.” There was no uncertainty in Danneel’s voice. She was sure of it, sure of herself. Sure of them. “And you’re stalling.”

 

In a knee-jerk reaction, Gen glared. When she caught the mischief in Danneel’s eyes, she had to laugh.

 

“I still get to worry,” Gen said, not quite ready to let go.

 

In one smooth move, Danneel sat up, cupping Gen’s cheek with her hand. “You do. But you’re not getting rid of me now that you’ve accepted me.”

 

Gen snorted, but it got lost in Danneel’s mouth. At first, the kiss was placation, closeness, before it morphed from reassuring insistence to heated desire. Gen’s whole body warmed up, the heat concentrating low in her belly, and when she pushed forward, there was an unexpected hardness that reminded her of what she had wanted to do.

 

Disentangling herself from Danneel’s arms was hard, but eventually Gen managed to push Danneel back onto the bed. 

 

“No more stalling now.” Gen trailed her hands down Danneel’s flat belly to the edge of her black panties. 

 

The form of Danneel’s dick was visible, straining long and hard, pointing slightly to the left. A damp spot had formed at the tip and that’s where Gen touched first.

 

“I thought you weren’t stalling,” Danneel said, but her voice was tight now, slightly breathless.

 

Gen grinned. Affecting Danneel like that always gave her a rush. “I’m not stalling anymore,” she said, dragging her finger down Danneel’s dick. “I’m taking my time.”

 

Carefully, she peeled Danneel’s panties down. Below her, Danneel had gone completely still.

 

It wasn’t the first dick she’d ever seen, wasn’t the first she’d ever touched. But when she reached out to touch the silky soft skin wrapped around the hardness, it felt different. New. This wasn’t some half-hearted fumblings with a boy she didn’t care for all that much, this was the woman she loved.

 

Exploring, she moved her hand up and down, felt the contrast of smooth and hard. Her hand looked small wrapping around Danneel’s dick.

 

It twitched in her hand when she applied more pressure, a pearly drop beading from the tip. She licked her lips.

 

“I wonder,” she said, scooting down lower on Danneel’s legs, “if you taste the same there, as you taste here.” 

 

She touched Danneel between her legs, felt the familiar dampness. Gen leaned down while Danneel’s breathing sped up and she groaned Gen’s name.

 

Gen leaned down, nosed along Danneel’s thigh, past another scar, broad and silvery, an old and deep witness to a battle long past. Later, she’d have Danneel tell her the story for every scar.

 

Now, she trailed her mouth upwards, moved Danneel’s thighs apart and kissed her, dipping her tongue into her slit.

 

“It’s still the same, here,” she mused, and moved upwards. When she reached the base of Danneel’s dick, she licked a careful stripe up to the tip. 

 

“Verdict?” Danneel asked slightly labored.

 

“Not sure yet.” 

 

Gen pressed a kiss just below the head. She’d heard about the things you could do to a dick, but she’d never particularly wanted to try them. Now that it was Danneel’s right in front of her, she couldn’t wait. Her mouth watered with how badly she wanted to taste and map this new part of Danneel.

 

So she took her into her mouth, slowly, to get a feel for this foreign shape. She bobbed her head up and down, taking Danneel deeper and deeper with every turn.

 

“And now?” Danneel’s voice was strained.

 

Gen pulled back but kept stroking Danneel with her hand. “It’s different,” she said, concentrating on the taste on her tongue.

 

“Goddess. Gen, please.” Breathy, chopped words.

 

Gen fought a grin. “I mean it’s very similar, but it’s more salty.”

 

Danneel huffed out a laugh that tapered off into a sharp moan when Gen went back to suck her down. She had to concentrate to keep her movements even because feeling Danneel lose it beneath her turned her on like it had all those years ago. 

 

The heat that had been a low thrumming inside her ever since Danneel had undressed, and that had flared with every touch, roared to life. She had to rub her thighs together, trying to relieve some of the pressure. 

 

Danneel’s hands were hot brands when they settled in her shoulders, rubbing her arms and then gliding into her hair.

 

“Gen. Goddess, you’re perfect.” Danneel’s voice was a rough timbre, vibrating through Gen’s body. “Please, let me touch you.”

 

“Soon,” Gen promised. “First, I wanna watch you fall apart.”

 

Danneel’s eyes fell shut and she slammed her head back on the bed, when Gen took her into her mouth again, moving faster, tracing the underside of her dick with her tongue. She was so turned on by now, she had to fight the urge to touch herself. Instead she brought her hand up to touch Danneel, rub her thumb against her clit.

 

“Oh goddess.” Danneel’s body arched, pushing her hips up into Gen’s hands.

 

Gen sped up her movements, put on more pressure, circled her thumb the way she knew Danneel liked. When Danneel started tensing up, Gen concentrated looking up at her face so she wouldn’t miss a moment. Just holding Danneel in her mouth, working her with her hands, she watched how Danneel’s eyes fluttered close, her mouth fell open and she came, breath leaving her lips, shaped around Gen’s name.

 

Hot slick burst against her tongue. Instinctively, Gen swallowed the intensely salty taste while she gently rubbed Danneel coming down from her high.

 

“So,” Gen said when she pulled off Danneel, but she didn’t get far. 

 

Danneel sat up, pulled Gen against her chest and kissed her, licking into her mouth. Her hands gripped Gen’s ass, pulling her into her lap. Gen went willingly, bearing down and trying to get some friction.

 

“Yes, come on.” Danneel’s voice was hoarse, desperate and she reached between Gen’s legs where she was wet and ready, aching for a touch.  

 

It didn’t take long, Gen had been keyed up the entire time she’d touched Danneel. Now she desperately pressed herself against Danneel, burying her hands in her long hair. Danneel held her tight, one arm slung around her hips while she pleasured Gen with the other. 

 

“Dani, please,” she managed to get out. “So close. Just please…”

 

“Anything,” Danneel said against the skin of her cheek before she trailed her mouth lower, down Gen’s neck and to that spot low on her throat where Gen was the most sensitive.

 

Her head fell back, giving Danneel better access and she didn’t try to keep the moans back that spilled out over her lips.

 

“Yes, let me hear you.” Danneel bit down, teeth worrying Gen’s sensitive skin and Gen’s orgasm crashed through her sudden and violent, making her thighs shake until she collapsed against Danneel. 

 

Danneel leaned back, taking Gen with her. From somewhere, Danneel produced a piece of cloth and wiped them down. Gen just snuggled up against Danneel’s side, eyes already drooping.

 

“Lazy bug,” Danneel said, voice warm and teasing. “So, final verdict?”

 

“Eh,” Gen managed and Danneel let out an offended “hey!”

 

Gen laughed and curled further into Danneel, reaching down to pat her carefully between her legs, which led to her letting out a whole other noise. “It’s alright,” Gen mumbled around a smile, “it can stay.”

 

“Thanks,” Danneel said dryly. “You’re too generous.”

 

“Hmm.” 

 

Gen dozed off with Danneel’s hand carding gently through her hair.

  
  
  
  
  


“Vivy?”

 

“Huh?” Gen tried to focus. She’d been drifting for a while. Not asleep but not fully awake either. Danneel of course, was completely awake.

 

Danneel’s hand pleasantly ran up and down her back. “Vivy. Or Viv.”

 

“What’s that?” Gen asked drowsily, slowly rubbing her thumb over the palm of Danneel’s unoccupied hand.

 

Danneel snorted. “A nickname for you.”

 

That got Gen’s attention. “Vivy? I don’t think so.”

 

“Viv?”

 

“No.”

 

Danneel’s fingers trailed upwards, along Gen’s spine. “Genny?”

 

Gen smiled at the atrocity. Their banter came just as easy and naturally as it had back when they met. “No.”

 

“Nivvy?”

 

Gen pinched Danneel’s arm. “Now you’re just being mean.”

 

Danneel laughed, then she laid down closer to Gen, wrapping an arm around her. “Gen was my name for you. What if I don’t want to share?”

 

Gen tensed. “That’s not how it’s going to work. You said yourself, you don’t want to possess me.”

 

“I know,” Danneel mumbled. “I just liked that it was only mine.”

 

“And you’ve given me a name out of love and every time someone else used it, it reminded me of you.”

 

Behind her, Danneel was quiet. “I never thought of it that way,” she finally said.

 

With a snort, Gen relaxed. “Of course not. You do have a one track mind.”

 

Danneel laughed. “It’s a good thing I have you then.”

 

Gen grinned into the pillow and scooted back against Danneel. “And you better not forget it.”

 

Gently, Danneel gripped her shoulder and flipped Gen on her back with ease. She leaned down and kissed her, deep and through. “Trust me, I never will.”

 

Gen felt herself smiling softly. She reached up and gently cupped Danneel’s cheek. Her thumb brushed along Danneel’s skin and the queen unconsciously leaned into the touch. “Neither will I.”

 

For a moment, Danneel was frozen staring at Gen incredulously. Then she broke out laughing. Shaking, Danneel collapsed on top of Gen. She laughed the laugh Gen had missed and feared was maybe gone after all the fighting and the war, but Danneel was gulping in deep breaths, stomach muscles contracting. She shook almost silenty into Gen’s shoulder, just like she had back then under the apple tree when Gen had told her how she’d tricked the cook into baking extra muffins for a week straight before he figured out it wasn’t the mice ruining the first batch of the day.

 

“I love you,” Gen whispered into Danneel’s hair once she’d stilled. 

 

“And I’ll be grateful for that every day of my life,” Danneel said.

  
Gen leaned back into her. Whatever was waiting for her here in Lazania, whatever challenges she’d face as Danneel’s wife, she knew she could do it. The two of them together, there was nothing they couldn't accomplish.

**Author's Note:**

> You can come find me on tumblr [here](http://ashtray-thief.tumblr.com/).


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